Interested to hear from Adelaide parents on how you find a good psychiatrist.
We have struggled with our daughters mental health for a couple of years. She has just turned 16. Last year our GP suggested to us that she would try to manage our daughters prescription for anti-depressants, as she said it is so hard to find and get in to a good psychiatrist who specialises in teenagers. She started us on an antidepressant, and then when that made her way too sleepy after a few months she put her on a different antidepressant ... but now that is making her narcoleptic also. We are going back to the GP later this week when she can fit us in, but she has already said she doesnt know where to turn to next.
Our psychologist has recommended Headspace, but their psychiatrist only sees people who are currently seeing their own psychologists.
Is anyone using a really good Adelaide-based psychiatrist that they can recommend? I can pass this on to our GP to refer us to. Surely there must be some parents on this forum who have gotten some success from a local psychiatrist that they can share. If there is any weirdness about naming medical professionals in the forum then please private message me, I will be so grateful to anyone sharing with me.
Unfortunately my daughter is pretty shy of medical professionals by now, so ideally if there is someone who (a) specialises in teens, (b) is preferably not too crusty/pompous/weird and can relate well to a 16 year old angsty girl, and (c) is recommended, and (d) can help us trying some different meds til we find one that works.
We found our current psychologist through a recommendation from a friend (after trying several unsuccessfully) so I'm hoping this might be a good way to go for a psychiatrist. I'm sure the medical profession will be horrified at this "doctor shopping" but really I'm horrified that our medical professionals dont seem to be able to point us in the right direction.
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Oh no that is awful. My daughter (now just 16) is very similar. Luckily she hasnt been caught by the police but I have told her that she runs the risk of being apprehended sooner or later. I wonder though, either the local town cop really has his finger on the pulse of everything that goes on in the town ... or could it be that it's a bit of a cry for help or attention the fact he has been caught not once but 3 times? It's also tough as a parent when everybody around you know exactly what badness your kid is up to ... it's humiliating. But you know what, there are some people and parents who understand that its not because you're a bad parent or that your kid is necessarily a bad egg - it's just a horrible angsty confused phase that happens to some kids ... we have found a lot of support and people who have gone through similar or have nephews etc that this has happened to. We have found a few of the other sort who have no idea and who instantly judge us ... to those I say just stuff them, I'm glad they have outed themselves as judgemental bigots because I have no interest in being friends with them. And I look at some of their younger kids and wonder if they wont perhaps be in a similar position to me in a year or two ... let's talk then!
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I think you're on the money with the control thing ... my daughter (just turned 16) is very hit and miss as to whether she will accept outside help. She initially refused to see a psychologist ... but now that we have been to a few she has found one she really likes and ok to go back to. But ... mind you it's pretty much on her terms which weeks she will and wont see them ... luckily our psychologist is fine with this, and she's ok for us to ring her that morning and see if she has a spot later that day or not. And some days if she is feeling extra angsty or anti-parents she will want to make her own way there on the bus to ensure she feels in control and independent (and we can't chat to the psychologist for a few minutes so she can keep her all to herself :-) We're now trying to get in to see a psychiatrist to try some different medications ... but again my daughter is not sold on this and wants to be able to call the shots. 3 months ago she was practically begging to see a psychiatrist to try a different med to the one she was on ... now she is acting like she doesnt want to go ... we'll see, I'll pick a good moment to bring it up again and probably get a grudging ok. I think also part of it is that by seeing someone they're admitting "I'm not ok" and "I'm different" and that is hard for some kids to acknowledge and confront (my daughter is a classic avoider).
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